15 Ways To Beat Bad Breath

In Roman times, people used sticks for toothbrushes and tooth powder so abrasive that it ground away the surface of the teeth, exposing the pulp. When their teeth hurt, they applied olive oil in which earthworms had been boiled. After all of that, it’s safe to say, they had bad breath. Today, dental hygiene is big business, and the space allocated to it in the average grocery store rivals that of the produce section. Still, people worry about their breath. The good news is that for the most part—with proper dental care—bad breath, also called halitosis, can be avoided for good. Here’s how.

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Go Easy On The Garlic

Highly spiced foods like to linger long after the party’s over. Certain tastes and smells linger in the form of the essential oils that they leave in your mouth. Depending on how much you eat, the odor can remain up to 24 hours, no matter how often you brush your teeth. Some foods to avoid include onions, hot peppers, and garlic. (Find out 20 unexpected things that might make you smell.)

Delay The Deli Run

Spicy deli meats such as pastrami, salami, and pepperoni also leave their oils behind long after you’ve swallowed that sandwich. You breathe. They breathe. “Since these are acidic foods, they promote bacteria colonization and dry mouth, which causes bad breath,” says John C. Moon, DDS. If an occasion calls for sweet-smelling breath, avoid these meats for 24 hours beforehand to keep them from talking for you.

Say, "Please, No Cheese."

Camembert, Roquefort, and blue cheese are called strong for good reason—they get a hold on your breath and don’t let go. Some other dairy products may have the same effect. (These are the 25 foods that dentists never, ever eat.)

Welcome Yogurt

Preliminary research shows that the live bacteria in yogurt can suppress levels of bad-breath-causing bacteria. Researchers think yogurt reduces the smell-inducing bacteria coating the tongue. The theory: Good bugs in yogurt may crowd out the stink-causing bacteria or create an unhealthy environment for it. Yogurt promotes good bacteria, says Moon. (Find out the 4 things you need to know before buying Greek yogurt.)

Limit Fish

Some fish, like the anchovies on your pizza or the tuna you tuck into your brown-bag lunch, can leave a lasting impression.

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Watch What You Drink

Coffee, beer, wine, and whiskey are at the top of the list of liquid offenders. Each leaves a residue that can attach to the plaque in your mouth and infiltrate your digestive system. Each breath you take spews traces back into the air.

Carry A Toothbrush

Some odors can be eliminated—permanently or temporarily—if you brush immediately after a meal. The main culprit in bad breath is a soft, sticky film of living and dead bacteria that clings to your teeth and gums, says Moon. This film is called plaque. At any time, there are 50 trillion of these microscopic organisms loitering in your mouth. They sit in every dark corner, eating each morsel of food that passes your lips, collecting little smells, and producing little odors of their own. As you exhale, the bacteria exhale. So brush away the plaque after each meal and get rid of some of the breath problem.

Sip On Water

Even when you can’t brush, you can rinse. Take a sip of water after meals, swish it around, and wash the smell of food from your mouth, says Jerry F. Taintor, DDS. In fact, experts claim that drinking at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily keeps your mouth moist and helps wash away the food debris on which bacteria thrive. “Dry mouth is a serious problem for people who take certain medications such as antihistamines, and for our growing elderly population who are on multiple medications,” says Taintor. In fact, dry mouth is one of the main culprits behind bad breath.

Gargle A Minty Mouthwash

If you need 20 minutes of freedom from bad breath, gargling with a mouthwash is a great idea. But like Cinderella’s coach-turned-pumpkin, when your time is up, the magic will be gone, and you’ll be talking from behind your hand again. Want extra protection? Dip your toothbrush in a mouth rinse with 0.12% chlorhexidine gluconate (such as Peridex, an over-the-counter mouth rinse made by Procter & Gamble) and brush your tongue, too.

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Choose Your Mouthwash By Ingredients

Medicine-flavored mouthwashes contain essential oils such as thyme, eucalyptus, peppermint, and wintergreen, as well as sodium benzoate or benzoic acid. Herbs and essential oils help neutralize the odor-producing waste products of your mouth bacteria, says Moon. He recommends Biotene, Crest ProHealth, or The Natural Dentist mouthwashes. “They taste very refreshing and there’s no alcohol in them,” he says. No matter which mouthwash you choose, avoid products containing alcohol, which causes dry mouth.

Chew A Mint Or Some Gum

Like mouthwash, a breath mint or minty gum is just a cover-up, good for a short interview, a short ride in a compact car, or a very short date. But avoid gum containing sugar, cautions Moon. “Sugar can breed bacteria and promote bad breath. Instead, chew on sugarless gum or Biotene gum.” Biotene has a complete line of products, including rinse, gum, and spray. Moon recommends all three. Just keep gum chewing to a minimum, because it wears down teeth.

Brush Your Tongue

“Most people overlook their tongues,” says Moon. Your tongue is covered with little hairlike projections, which under a microscope look like a forest of mushrooms. Beneath the caps of the “mushrooms,” there’s room for plaque and some of the things we eat to get lodged. This stuff causes bad breath. His advice? When you brush your teeth, gently go over your tongue, too. This will help clear away the food and bacteria that lead to bad breath. If you want, you can buy a tongue scraper just for this purpose; they’re sold in many drugstores and discount department stores. Moon also recommends a product called Breath Rx, which loosens debris on the tongue and helps kill odor-causing bacteria.

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Eat This To Squash Bad Breath

Eat your vegetables. “Vegetables help decrease acidity,” says Moon. “That not only promotes good breath, but also good overall health.” If all else fails, eat your garnish. Parsley contains chlorophyll, a known breath deodorizer. Toss a few handfuls (even add some watercress to the mix) in a juicer. Sip the juice anytime you need to refresh your breath.

Think “spice is nice.” Other herbs and spices in your kitchen are natural breath enhancers. Carry a tiny plastic bag of cloves, fennel, or anise seeds to chew after odorous meals.

Try a gargle special. Mix extracts of sage, calendula, and myrrh gum (all available at health food stores) in equal proportions and gargle with the mixture four times a day. Keep the mouthwash in a tightly sealed jar at room temperature.

How To Test Your Breath

How horrible is your halitosis? If you don’t have a friend to tell you the truth, there are a couple of ways you can test your breath. Cup your hands. Breathe into them with a great, deep “ha-a-a-a.” Sniff. If it smells rank to you, then it’s deadly to those around you. “Most people who have bad breath, know it,” says Moon. “People who have bad breath also have a taste indifference, so that’s another indication that something is going on.” Floss. Pull the floss gently between your teeth and then sniff some of the gunk you unearth. It will have an odor no matter what, but if it smells bad, you smell bad.

What The Doctor Does About Bad Breath

Taintor chews sugarless, minty gum with sips of water. It moves the minty flavor throughout the mouth and makes your breath smell better. What about the bacteria? Good question. Taintor uses mouthwash before brushing and after brushing. “This helps reduce the amount of oral bacteria,” he says. Less bacteria equals better breath and less dental decay.

When To Visit A Doctor

If your halitosis hangs on for more than 24 hours without an obvious cause, call your dentist or doctor. “When you have bad breath, it’s usually a sign of an imbalance in the system,” says Moon. It can be a sign of gum disease, diabetes, abscess, or bacterial or fungi overgrowth. “Bad breath often stems from some form of inflammation,” says Moon. It can also be a sign of dehydration or zinc deficiency, or it can be caused by drugs, including penicillamine and lithium.

Panel Of Advisors

John C. Moon, DDS, is a cosmetic and general dentist in Half Moon Bay, California.

Jerry F. Taintor, DDS, is former chair of endodontics at the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry in Memphis and UCLA School of Dentistry. He is author of The Complete Guide to Better Dental Care.

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